DESCRIPTION: Program Characteristics: This application is submitted to seek continued support of a training program in Oncology: The Molecular Basis of Cancer. The program faculty includes 17 preceptors directly involved in cancer biology research, 14 preceptors in areas related to cancer research, and seven members in support roles; 31 faculty act in the role of preceptor for both pre- and postdoctoral fellows. The training faculty at present supervise 95 predoctoral and 121 postdoctoral fellows and form a highly interactive community of mentors in a state-of-the-art research facility. There is a diversity of experimental systems, technical capabilities/support facilities, and a blend of research activities regarding developmental, cellular, and molecular biology. Special courses, symposia, conferences, and research collaborations are used to enrich the topics of the training that are clinically related to cancer. A new addition to the program will permit fellows to visit clinical facilities where cancer treatment is ongoing and to meet clinical fellows for better interchange and discussion of translational research efforts. In addition to the special efforts to emphasize cancer as a disease, coursework, seminar series, symposia, and retreats are all used to provide a broad educational experience in diverse experimental systems: prokaryotes, yeast, worms, fruit flies, Xenopus, oncology, cell culture, and virology. The ultimate goal is to develop original, creative, and productive biomedical scientists who will advance the understanding of cancer, its origin, treatment, and elimination through a lifetime of research. The past training record of this program bears out the success in realizing this goal.